ACFT EQUIP PROB. TORN CARGO COMPARTMENT LINER. RPTR CAPT SAW THE CARGO LINER DURING HIS WALK AROUND INSPECTION; BUT DETERMINED THAT IT WAS TAPED. AND; AT THE TIME; BAGS WERE BEING LOADED OBSTRUCTING A COMPLETE VIEW OF THE AREA; SO ASSUMED IT HAD BEEN REPAIRED. AFTER LNDG; MAINT SAID THE LINER SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED.

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ON MAY/XX/96 I WAS THE OPERATING CAPT ON FLT PHX-STL. DURING MY PREFLT WALKAROUND I HAPPENED TO NOTICE A LARGE TAPED UP AREA ON LINER OF MID CARGO COMPARTMENT. BAGGAGE WAS BEING LOADED AT THE TIME AND RAMP SVC PEOPLE WERE IN THE COMPARTMENT.. I COULD NOT SEE THAT WELL AS LARGE AMOUNT OF SUITCASES IN PROCESS OF BEING LOADED. IT DID APPEAR LINER COULD BE SAGGING; HOWEVER; SINCE OBVIOUS PREVIOUS REPAIR HAD BEEN ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED DUE TO AMOUNT OF TAPE I DIDN'T THINK FURTHER INVESTIGATION WAS NECESSARY. UPON ARR AT STL RAMP SVC ADVISED THE AREA IN QUESTION WAS NOT SECURELY ATTACHED TO BULKHEADS COMPROMISING INTEGRITY OF COMPARTMENT. WHEN WE FLEW BY KANSAS CITY I TALKED TO OUR MAINT COORDINATOR AS I FELT STL MAINT SHOULD CHK OUT THE 'TAPE JOB.' KNOWING THAT THESE MESSAGES SOMETIMES GET LOST; I ALSO TALKED TO STL MAINT BEFORE LNDG AND REQUESTED SOMEONE CHK IT OUT. THEY CAME TO COCKPIT AS I READIED TO DEPLANE AND REQUESTED I WRITE UP DAMAGED CARGO COMPARTMENT LINER. I DID SO BASED ON THEIR INSPECTION. LATER THAT SAME DAY; MAINT SUPVR CALLED MY PLT SUPVR AND STATED AIRPLANE CARGO COMPARTMENT LINER SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED AT PHX. IN FACT; THE LINER WAS RETAPED AND ACFT LEFT STL ON TIME FOR LGA WITH NEW FLT CREW. SAME FLT NUMBER. WE PLTS TAKE OUR PREFLT WALK AROUNDS VERY SERIOUS. WE CANNOT ALWAYS SEE INTO CARGO COMPARTMENTS. I SUGGEST RAMP SVC PEOPLE BE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO RPT CONDITION OF CARGO COMPARTMENT LINERS. THEY MUST BE INTACT. I ALSO SUGGEST ALL AIRLINES HAVE THEIR PLTS DO WALK AROUND INSPECTIONS. SOME OTHER CARRIER PLTS ARE NEVER SEEN OUTSIDE AIRPLANE.